A new bus stop with 30 inch high seats has bewildered villagers and left them dangling their legs in mid air.
The towering wooden seat - which is 10 inches higher than the standard seat - has locally been branded as being 'made for giants'.
Villagers have complained the bench seat is too high for passengers and said those who are elderly or disabled need to have access to the seat when waiting for the bus.
Councillor Paul Thorogood, who is 6ft tall, said even his feet don't touch the floor when he sits on one of the benches.
He complained: "The height of the seats isn’t very user-friendly...unless you’re a giant!
"I'm 6ft and my legs are hanging off the edge.
“For a 5ft 2ins tall pensioner with a dodgy knee or hip it’s totally unusable.
"The bus shelter seats are meant to be 20 inches high. But one is 30 inches and the other is 26 inches.
"They're brand new and should be fitted at the correct height."
Housing developer Bloor Homes paid for the bus shelters in Fleering, Essex as part of a deal with the council to build 165 homes in the village, Cllr Thorogood said.
But he added that Essex County Council is responsible for their upkeep - meaning the taxpayer may have to foot a bill to replace the seating.
He added: "Many people who are elderly or have a disability need to be able to sit down when waiting for a bus.
“At the moment, they can’t.”
Essex Highways confirmed that it will lower the bus shelter seats "as soon as possible".
But it cannot currently make the adjustments due to the number of services running through the area.
They said issues with the bench height only came to light after Covid-19 travel restrictions were eased.
A spokesperson said: "The shelters were installed about eight months ago as part of a nearby development, but with travel restrictions around Covid-19 this issue has only just come to light.
"It’s not possible to lower the shelter due to the number of services running under the shelter so the Essex Highways maintenance team will arrange to have the seat lowered in both shelters as soon as possible.”
Bloor Homes was contacted for comment.
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